KEY FACTS
Joined Commonwealth: 1976
Population: 92,000 (2012)
GDP p.c. growth: 2.4% p.a. 1990–2012
UN HDI 2012: world ranking 46
Official languages: Creole, English and French
Time: GMT plus 4hr
Currency: Seychelles rupee (SRs)
Geography
Area: 455 sq km
Coastline: 491 km
Capital: Victoria
The Republic of Seychelles lies in the western part of the Indian Ocean, north of Madagascar and 1,593 km east of Mombasa, Kenya. It is an isolated archipelago of outstanding natural beauty comprising about 115 islands, the largest and most economically important of which is Mahé.
Main towns:
Victoria (capital, pop. 21,700 in 2010) and Anse Royale, both on Mahé.
Society
KEY FACTS 2012
Population per sq km: 203
Life expectancy: 73 years
Net primary enrolment: 94% (2011)
Population:
92,000 (2012); 88 per cent on Mahé, seven per cent on Praslin, three per cent on La Digue and two per cent on the other islands, with 54 per cent living in urban areas; growth 1.3 per cent p.a. 1990–2012; birth rate 17 per 1,000 people; life expectancy 73 years.The population is of mixed African, French, Indian, Chinese and Arab descent. There are small minorities of Europeans, Indians and Chinese.
Language:
The official languages are Creole, English and French. Seychellois Creole (Kreol Seselwa) is French-based and very widely used.
Education:
Public spending on education was four per cent of GDP in 2011. There are ten years of compulsory education starting at the age of six. Primary school comprises six years and secondary five, with cycles of three and two years. Some 94 per cent of pupils complete primary school (2010). The school year starts in January. Teaching is in Creole, French and English. The Seychelles Polytechnic opened in January 1983 at Anse Royale on the island of Mahé. It offers courses in business and the visual arts to diploma level and has been providing first-year degree courses in conjunction with the University of Manchester, UK, since 2001. The Seychelles Institute of Technology was established in Providence, Mahé, in 2005–06, incorporating the technical studies programmes of the Polytechnic. Other important tertiary institutions include the National Institute of Education, National Institute for Health and Social Studies, Agricultural and Horticultural Training Centre, Maritime Training Centre and Seychelles Tourism Academy. The female–male ratio for gross enrolment in tertiary education is 3.40:1 (2011). Literacy among people aged 15–24 is 99 per cent (2010).
